Ernst, Lady Tigers in title contention

CHARLESTON, S.C. - The No. 4-ranked LSU women’s golf team and sophomore defending NCAA champion Austin Ernst are both in good position to contend for the title after Monday’s second round of the Cougar Classic at the Yeaman Hall Course.

LSU is in third after 36 holes of the 54-hole event at 5-under-par 571 after posting a 3-over round of 291 Monday. The Lady Tigers trail leader North Carolina (567) by four shots. Florida is second at 568, and North Carolina State is fourth at 1-over 577.

Four SEC teams - Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Vanderbilt - are tied for fifth at 5-over 581, with Ole Miss in ninth at 583.

Ernst shot a 3-under 69 Monday to give her a two-day total of 8-under 136, one shot behind leader Erica Popson of Tennessee.

Ernst’s 136 is the lowest individual 36-hole total in LSU history, beating the 138 that Ernst had at the halfway point of the NCAA Division I Championship a year ago. The 138 mark was originally set by All-American Ashley Wynn of LSU in a 1998 event in Hawaii.

A member of the LSU track and field program from 2002-05, Brazell helped the Tigers win five NCAA relay titles while earning 14 All-America honors as a 400-meter hurdler.

Brazell is LSU’s first athlete to win national championships in two different sports: He was on the track and field national outdoors champions in 2002, indoor champions in 2004, and the 2003 football national championship team.

Soccer

CALLOWAY NAMED SEC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: After being selected the Defensive MVP of the 2011 LSU Invitational, redshirt freshman defender Jodi Calloway was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.

Calloway led a Tiger defense that surrendered just one goal in two matches: a 1-0 shutout of Oregon on Friday and a 1-1 draw with No. 13-ranked Pepperdine on Sunday.

WALK-ON TRYOUTS SET FOR MONDAY: The LSU men’s basketball team’s fourth annual walk-on tryouts will be held Monday at the LSU practice facility gymnasium. There is a mandatory meeting at 3 p.m. Monday, with the tryout session beginning at 3:30 p.m.

Team member Andrew Del Piero was selected in last year’s tryouts.

Interested students must email Zach Kendrick, zkendr1@lsu.edu, of the men’s basketball staff before noon Thursday to acquire the necessary information to enter the tryouts, including NCAA compliance eligibility.